Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Reviving a PB G4

M

MOkAONE

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 19, 2008
6
0
long story made short, my gf came across a 17" powerbook g4 that im looking to bring back to life. there's no powercord and it wont turn on, so hopefully its just a beat battery. the keyboard wasn't screwed on wen i got it, and i took it apart, and im guessing theres some parts missing.. because the keyboard isnt connected to the rest of the laptop by any type of ribbon cord. so im not sure how the power button would work if i was to recharge the battery.

few questions before i invest money on it...

-where would i be able to find replacements parts for cheap. all the keyboard screws are missing, and wen u close the laptop, its not flush.. as if the previous owner used the left corner of the lid to open the laptop, and eventually warped due to the weight.

-would i run into any problems on trying to install Leopard on it? ive heard that Tiger runs fine, but theres minor configs u have to do to get Leopard running. (im a pc owner, looking to switch. so i have a little knowledge of Mac OS. i use my gf's macbook once in a while, but other than that... the last time i used/owned a apple computer was wen i was young and ran OS8 on my dekstop)
 
With regards to Leopard, I'm currently running it on a G4 1ghz and it's perfect, just upgrade your RAM and off you go.
 
MOkAONE said:
long story made short, my gf came across a 17" powerbook g4 that im looking to bring back to life. there's no powercord and it wont turn on, so hopefully its just a beat battery. the keyboard wasn't screwed on wen i got it, and i took it apart, and im guessing theres some parts missing.. because the keyboard isnt connected to the rest of the laptop by any type of ribbon cord. so im not sure how the power button would work if i was to recharge the battery.

few questions before i invest money on it...

-where would i be able to find replacements parts for cheap. all the keyboard screws are missing, and wen u close the laptop, its not flush.. as if the previous owner used the left corner of the lid to open the laptop, and eventually warped due to the weight.

-would i run into any problems on trying to install Leopard on it? ive heard that Tiger runs fine, but theres minor configs u have to do to get Leopard running. (im a pc owner, looking to switch. so i have a little knowledge of Mac OS. i use my gf's macbook once in a while, but other than that... the last time i used/owned a apple computer was wen i was young and ran OS8 on my dekstop)
Click to expand...

Maybe there is a reason the previous owner didn't want it anymore?
 
so i got a power cord, and i can see the battery being charged. but the laptop isnt turning on. any suggestions?
 
after looking at the diagrams over at ifixit, i realized that whoever messed around with the laptop before, didnt plug in the small ribbon cord thats under the RAM. plugged it in, computer booted up. there's no OS on the hdd, but atleast i now know that it works. :thumbsup:
 
MOkAONE said:
after looking at the diagrams over at ifixit, i realized that whoever messed around with the laptop before, didnt plug in the small ribbon cord thats under the RAM. plugged it in, computer booted up. there's no OS on the hdd, but atleast i now know that it works. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Haha, that's pretty funny. :p

Sucks for the other guy!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back